J E F F R E Y

T O M K I N S ,

. D .

Explaining Organismal Complexity

with Non-Coding DNA

cientists have wondered why the

number of protein-coding genes in
an organism doesnt strongly correlate with its apparent complexity. The emerging answer to this question is
contained in the DNA regions outside the
protein-coding genesonce thought to be
junk DNA.
To understand this paradox, it is first
important to define the term organismal
complexity as the number of different cell
types found in an organism. For example,
the nematode worm (roundworm) has 28
different cell types, fruit flies have 64, and
humans have about 200 and perhaps as
many as 300.1 However, the classification of
what constitutes a specific cell type can be
difficult due to overlapping features, so these
numbers are estimates.
In addition, genomics studies are collectively revealing that animal genomes contain a large, basic core set of protein-coding
genes plus a smaller group of genes called
orphan genes that are highly specific to
that particular organism.1, 2 In general, most
multicellular animals have about 20,000
to 30,000 protein-coding genes. However,
the amount of non-coding DNA located
outside the protein-coding genes generally
corresponds to the organismal complexity of the animal in questionthe more

complex the animal, the greater amount of

non-coding DNA it will have. A recent DNA
sequence analysis of 153 different animal genomes confirmed this general trend.1
In this same study, the researchers also
analyzed the total amount of non-coding
DNA sequence that was expressed (copied
into RNA) in four different and increasingly
complex organisms: the nematode worm,
fruit fly, zebrafish, and human. They found
that the levels of expressed non-coding DNA
increased in correspondence to the creatures organismal complexity. Not only do
more complex animals generally have larger
amounts of non-coding DNA, but it is also
pervasively expressed in each organism.
Previous work indicates that more
than 85 percent of the human genome is
expressed in a dizzying array of non-coding
RNA molecules that serve many different
functional and structural purposes in the
cell.3,4 Researchers are fervently studying
these genomic regions because about half
of the genetic variation associated with heritable diseases lies in these intergenic areas.5
In fact, scientists are finding that every type of well-studied, non-coding animal RNA is associated with a specific cell
type, growth stage, physiology, or disease.1,3,4
These intergenic expressed sequences even
tend to be more functionally specific than

protein-coding genes, on average. This refutes the common evolutionary claim that
just because a DNA sequence is expressed
does not mean it is functional.
Research is showing that the mysterious whereabouts of information underpinning organismal complexity is not entirely
associated with just basic protein-coding
gene sets. Instead, much of this important
information is located in the highly functional, non-protein-coding portions of the
genome.6
The main points can be summarized
as follows:
1) Any given animal genome is a complete
storehouse of important information,
and this fact negates the concept of junk
DNA.
2) The more complex an animals genome
is, the larger that genomes amount of
information expressed through noncoding DNA will be.
3) Protein-coding genes are largely a basic set of instructions within a complex and larger repertoire of regulatory
DNA sequence.
As research progresses, the revealed
structure and function of genomic information across the spectrum of life show pervasive design and complex engineering.
References
1. Liu, G., J. S. Mattick, and R. J. Taft. 2013. A meta-analysis of
the genomic and transcriptomic composition of complex
life. Cell Cycle. 12 (13): 20612072.
2. Tomkins, J. Newly Discovered Orphan Genes Defy Evolution. Creation Science Update. Posted on icr.org August 26,
2013, accessed September 3, 2013.
3. Cabili, M. N. et al. 2011. Integrative annotation of human
large intergenic noncoding RNAs reveals global properties and specific subclasses. Genes & Development. 25 (18):
1915-1927.
4. Hangauer, M. J. et al. 2013. Pervasive Transcription of the
Human Genome Produces Thousands of Previously Unidentified Long Intergenic Noncoding RNAs. PLoS Genetics. 9 (6): e1003569.
5. Hindorff, L. A. et al. 2009. Potential etiologic and functional
implications of genome-wide association loci for human
diseases and traits. Proceedings of the National Academy of
Sciences. 106 (23): 9362-9367.
6. Tomkins, J. 2012. Junk DNA Myth
Continues Its Demise. Acts & Facts.
41 (11): 11-13.

Dr. Tomkins is Research Associate at

the Institute for Creation Research
and received his Ph.D. in genetics
from Clemson University.

NOVEMBER 2013

ACTS

&

FACTS

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